Cops Inadvertently Endorse Stop-and-Frisk iPhone App

To push the release of its “Stop and Frisk Watch” iPhone app today, the NYCLU released a short clip of police officers demonstrating the technology on the previously mentioned Android version. Whereas the technology was designed with the hope of “[empowering] New Yorkers to confront abusive, discriminatory policing” by allowing them to tape the controversial searches in action and submit them for a legal review, the NYPD officers in the promo just giggle, say bad words, and give the middle finger.

The NYCLU reports that, including the above masterpiece, it’s received more than 5,000 videos since last summer, only 200 of which showed actual police incidents. “While we’ve yet to see a ‘Rodney King’ moment, Stop and Frisk Watch submissions have confirmed a number of concerns the NYCLU has about stop-and-frisk abuse and has provided New Yorkers with a powerful tool to document police abuse,” said NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman in a statement.

As for the goofy, curious cops, an NYCLU spokesperson told Daily Intelligencer that the clip was apparently submitted by real officers: “We can only take it at face value — but they are certainly wearing official uniforms and appear to be in a precinct. It would have had to have been some elaborate ruse for someone to submit that for a couple of second video.”